“Love Yourself” was the third single from Justin Bieber’s fourth album, Purpose. All three songs went to #1 in the U.S. and UK. The song debuted at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 while Bieber’s previous singles “What Do You Mean?” and “Sorry” were still in the top 5. Prior to Bieber, only The Beatles and 50 Cent had accomplished that feat. WK “Love Yourself” knocked “Sorry” out of the number one slot, making him the twelfth artist to succeed himself on the Hot 100. WK It did so in the UK as well, making him only the third act – after the Beatles and Elvis Presley – to do so. SF It ended up as Billboard’s number one song of the year and was nominated for Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance. It won the American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Song.

The cut was “a kiss-off to a narcisstic ex-lover who did the protagonist wrong.” WK Bieber said it was “definitely about someone in my past,” WK singing “‘Cause if you like the way you look that much, oh baby you should go and love yourself.” WK Bieiber also said that it was “cool because so many people can resonate with that because how many women do we bring back that mom doesn’t really necessarily like?” WK

It was written by Bieber with Ed Sheeran and Benny Blanco. Blanco produced the track, offering the instrumentation and programming. WK The acoustic pop song featured “just vocals, an electric guitar, and a brief flurry of trumpets.” WK Sheeran, who has said he originally had Rihanna in mind for the track WK and that he considered it for his own album, SF provided background vocals. WK Of working with Sheeran, Bieber said, “I think he’s one of the most talented writers in the game right now” WK “so just to be able to work with that caliber of songwriter was really, really awesome.” WK

Consequence of Sound’s Michelles Geslani said it “sounds exactly like what you’d expect from a meeting of these two minds.” WKEntertainment Weekly’s Leah Greenblatt called it “the world’s first campfire-folk diss track” WK and Digital Spy’s Amy Davidson called it a “deliciously evil poison-pen ballad.” Spin’s Andrew Unterberger called the song “an earth-salting, cruelly chuckling kiss-off track [which] features an unprecedented-for Bieber caliber of lyrical detail.” WK

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